Spoon nails rocking retrospective

By Jim Shahen Jr.

Published 3:53 pm, Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Clifton Park

There aren't many bands better at songcraft than Spoon. Throw on any of the Austin, Texas-based indie rockers' nine studio albums, and it's obvious that the group puts a lot of thought behind each song's structure.

This commitment to detail also carries over into Spoon's live show, as evidenced by Tuesday night's performance at Upstate Concert Hall. In front of an enthusiastic, sold-out audience, Spoon provided a 95-minute snapshot of its two-decade career that upped the volume and added some more guitar, while utilizing one of the best sound mixes I've ever heard at the venue to maintain the band's musical nuances and textures.

Spoon opened with current single "Do I Have to Talk You Into It?," nailing the tune's slinky, midtempo synth-and-bass groove. After a brief greeting from frontman Britt Daniel, the band played a lights-out version of "Inside Out" before kicking it up a notch with "I Turn my Camera On." Live, this song was transformed from falsetto-voiced soul rock into more of a robot-rocker, like a grimier take on Bowie circa '76 that the crowd went wild for.

In a recent interview with the Times Union, Spoon drummer Jim Eno mentioned two songs that he particularly has enjoyed playing on the current tour: "Don't You Evah" and "I Ain't the One." Spoon played both, and Eno's enthusiasm was evident, with the band maintaining the studio versions' delicate beauty and structure, but his drumming was more urgent, giving each a little extra rhythmic drive.

"Can I Sit Next to You" was still a sensual jam, but the band stretched it out with a wild, extended, keyboard-laden outro. After a couple of more tunes, Spoon played one of its biggest hits, "The Underdog." Of everything the group played, this one sounded most different in the live setting. Gone were the acoustic guitars and the horns, replaced by electric guitar and keyboards. This changed the song's essence from a somewhat precious indie-pop gem to more of a power-pop tune. That change in style didn't change audience reception, as it was one of the best-received songs of the evening, and Daniel was able to engage fans in a singalong with minimal prompting.

The night closed with a closing one-two punch of "Hot Thoughts" and "Rent I Pay." The former featured a little more riffage than its bass- and synth-laden original take, but it still smoked, and the latter ended the show with raucous energy.

More Information

Concert review

Spoon with White Reaper

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Upstate Concert Hall, 1208 Route 146, Clifton Park

Length: Spoon 95 minutes; White Reaper 45 minutes

The crowd: Sold out and enthusiastic

Speaking of raucous energy, opening act White Reaper was full of that. The Louisville, Ky., band answered the (probably) previously unasked question of what it would sound like if Thin Lizzy got all hopped up and utilized four-on-the-floor drumming. Songs like "Little Silver Cross," "Sheila" and "World's Best American Band" rocked hard and were abundant fun. The last tune is also the name of White Reaper's 2017 album, one that earned rave critical reviews. Between that and the quality of its live performance, it's a band worth getting to know.